SACRAMENTO — As California’s political leaders scramble to restore trust in a system that many say protects perpetrators of sexual harassment instead of its victims, an explosive news report on Friday revealed that a current legislator — Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra — was secretly disciplined eight years ago after a legislative staffer accused him of groping her.

But the San Fernando Valley Democrat, then chief of staff to then-Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, kept his job and went on to run for office, endorsed by numerous legislators — including the woman’s boss, disgraced former Sen. Ron Calderon.

The news broke as those involved in a nascent “We Said Enough” campaign — which this month circulated a letter signed by hundreds of Sacramento lobbyists, lawmakers and staffers, demanding an end to the mistreatment of women in politics — express frustration over decisions announced this past week aimed at addressing the problem. And it shows just how far the Legislature needs to go to regain their trust, said Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, who leads the Legislative Women’s Caucus.

“You take those cues of who the institution is going to prioritize: `Well, I guess politics matter more than human decency,’ ” Garcia said. “We need to be honest about those things and realize it’s not just about rules and regulations but how do we, as members, hold each other accountable.”

Staffer Elise Flynn Gyore was at an after-hours work event in 2009 when, she told the Los Angeles Times, Bocanegra — whom she had never met — aggressively reached under her blouse. She said he “menaced” her that night, following her around and making her fear for her safety.

Gyore reported the incident the next day to a Senate official, and the Assembly Rules Committee hired an outside firm to investigate, according to the Times. The firm concluded that Bocanegra did not meet the Assembly’s “expectations for professionalism.” He was instructed to have no communication with her.

Bocanegra’s office’s on Friday issued a statement in which he apologized for his behavior. “This unfortunate experience I was involved in as a staffer nearly 10 years ago was something I regret and learned from,” he said. “I will work closely with my colleagues to ensure all processes involving sexual harassment are handled properly and fairly and that no woman or man who has been harassed is retaliated against by members or staff. Again, I’m deeply regretful about putting someone in this position and I want to apologize most sincerely.”

A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, who assumed his leadership post in 2016 and appointed Bocanegra to be part of his leadership team as majority whip, said he was not aware of the allegations before they appeared in the Times. Rendon issued a statement commending Gyore’s “bravery in bringing this incident forward” and calling for a cultural change in the Capitol.

But questions are swirling about who — in addition to Calderon, who is now serving time in federal prison for corruption — knew about the allegations but supported Bocanegra’s political career anyway. And Friday’s development could cast further skepticism on efforts to make the Capitol a safe place for women to work.

Last Tuesday, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León announced that the Senate had hired an outside firm to investigate specific claims and another to review the chamber’s procedures for handling complaints. The next day, Rendon announced that an Assembly subcommittee would hold public hearings on the subject in November that would “include a frank dialogue with the greater Capitol community.”

But organizers say none of the women in the “We Said Enough” campaign were consulted about the best way to go about fixing the problem.

“I found it kind of dehumanizing and puzzling,” said Jennifer Fearing, a lobbyist who signed the letter. She said she was disappointed that she didn’t hear from more of her friends and colleagues in the Capitol about the excruciating experiences she and others described.

“If I’ve heard one common refrain from women who have signed the letter over the last week, it’s the deafening silence from everyone in the building about it,” Fearing said.

After adding her name to the letter, East Bay Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, a Republican lawmaker, spoke publicly about being touched inappropriately on numerous occasions since her first campaign. She said she wants to know how the Senate selected the firms to conduct the investigations, what their instructions were, and what the final product would be. She also finds public hearings in the Assembly to be “an odd approach,” considering the deeply personal and sensitive nature of the problem.

“I think that does not fit with what we’re confronting here — at least not at the beginning of the process,” Baker said. “I can’t imagine carting up witnesses to come talk about their experience. I don’t think that’s the starting point.”

But the Assembly Rules Subcommittee on Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation Prevention and Response, formed in June, has a specific charge: to review the house’s policies related to reporting sexual harassment, said subcommittee Chairwoman Laura Friedman, a Los Angeles-area Democrat.

The purpose, she said, is to “create an environment that we don’t have now, that women feel that they can come forward safely, without any fear of retaliation — that they don’t feel like their job is going to be in jeopardy or they’re going to be a pariah — and that they have justice,” she said in an interview Friday.

“We Said Enough” organizers — who on Friday launched a similar campaign in Oregon’s state Capitol — want the Legislature to establish an independent, outside body to handle claims of sexual harassment and assault, along with confidential reporting and whistleblower protections.

They stress that they have not called for investigations of the specific experiences described since the letter was first published — including a disturbing account by lobbyist Pamela Lopez in which, she said, a current legislator trapped her inside a bar bathroom and masturbated in front of her.

Lopez has told reporters that she might one dayname the lawmaker but that she hasn’t wanted to narrow the discussion to a few bad actors.

Fearing said there is a specific kind of reporting system she wants to see in the Capitol: one “that the men are so afraid of that we don’t need to use it.”

Katy Murphy is based in Sacramento and covers state government for The Mercury News and East Bay Times, a beat she took on in January 2017. Before that, she was the news organization's higher education reporter, writing about UC, CSU, community colleges and private colleges. Long ago, she covered Oakland schools and other K-12 education issues.

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